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Tuesday, November 19, 2013

1. 'Start a Revolution'; neon light piece by Tim Etchells via his notebook. 2. A fried egg badge that I really dig via minimal needs.3.Photograph by Philip-Lorca DiCorcia whose work I have only just come across after reading about his upcoming exhibition at the Hepworth Wakefield.

This weekend passed without much fanfare. But in a nice way. It was one of those grey weekends when it feels like the sky is sitting very low and you just sort of plod along, doing things as half-speed. One of those weekends when spending time in the pub in the company of friends but not even talking that much is a good solution.

I've been indulging quite a lot in winter laziness recently, when a sort of semi-hibernation feels necessary in the evenings. Hot, comfort food and piling into bed earlier than is perhaps acceptable with a few squares of salted toffee chocolate from the Co-op. Having my bed suited and booted for the cold months with a new thick duck feather duvet has done nothing to discourage my hermitage, but for now I'm okay with it.

These are some of the things that have been inhabiting my brain (and my computer tabs) over the past few days:

I'm a new Bill Callahan fan. I've been getting so much enjoyment from his latest album Dream River ('The Sing' and 'Small Plane' are my current favourites, particularly this line in the latter: "Sometimes you sleep while I take us home, that's how I know we really have a home") I really likedthis Bill Callahan profile on Spin.com which joins him hanging out at home in Austin with his partner, jamming in his shed and jumping from high spots at the springs.

While I've been sort of obsessed with hearing about other peoples routines for a while, my interest is starting to dissipate. Mostly because I recognise that this interest in other peoples way of doing things stems from procrastination and escapism. Maybe it's also because I feel less of a need for the 'guidance' of others as a way of validating my own way of doing things. There are only so many times you can read about Franklin's time management schemes. Despite all of this, I did enjoy reading about Molly Young's Sunday Routine.I've read Molly's blog on and off since 2010 and when I was 17 I thought she was the coolest person ever, so it was nice revisiting her world.

Tim Adams' interview with Jon Hamm.I don't often have the patience to read a celebrity profile in the papers, but this Jon Hamm profile is great. "People tell me they look up to Don, like they look up to Tony Soprano or Walter White. People have these weird fascinations with people who in reality you would not want to be for a second."

Dmitry Gudkov's blog #BikeNYC Projectis great but what I really liked were these photographs of Lance Jacobs which led me to his fantastic blog The Virtuous Cyclist. It's full of tips and illustrations for riding safely in New York. Which is perfect for when I'm cycling there in my dreams. My confidence on the roads has really improved in the last year, particularly after cycling to Paris and I feel much safer and in control but I'm still tediously conscious of my own mortality when I'm on my bike. Of course everyone is aware of their own mortality but there is nothing like zipping past buses and avoiding drivers who can't use their indicators to make you ponder death. Lance's blog makes an interesting read, especially in relation to taking responsibility but also taking charge as a cyclist. One of his tips which has stayed with me: make eye contact with motorists.

A special thanks goes out to my fabulous Granny and long-time no. 1 blog fan who mailed me some cashmere gloves as a surprise after reading my last post. I'm now back to wearing socks strictly on my feet and not my hands and cycling is so much better because of it.

Friday, November 08, 2013

It's November. When I go to bed I climb under four blankets and my duvet and I'm wearing the fluorescent striped socks my Great Granny knitted me for me when I was fourteen. After spending much of the past fortnight lying in bed in the evenings, under the layers, watching Mad Men (through my own breath) because it was too cold to do much else, Rose gently suggested that we put the heating on this week. She had tried to send a text but she couldn't feel her own fingers so she came into my room and said 'Stevie. The time has come'. So, it's November and the beginnings of Winter proper.

Despite all of this there is a clan of stubborn sunflowers on Santiago Road and they're standing in the face of the first frost. They're planted in a small unofficial allotment at the side of the road which is my favourite part of the route I take when I cycle into work each morning. On Thursday the sky was bright and the air was bitter and I was that person who is wearing socks on their hands instead of gloves because 'buy gloves' remains at the end of my to-do list that never gets scribbled off.

After roads and roads of potholes I turn onto Santiago Street where the surface is smoother and everything is a bit quieter. Sometimes there might be a van parked at junction with men unloading hanging meat to take into the nearby shop. (I took a photo of them sometime last year) There'll be some kids walking to school, sometimes by themselves and sometimes trailing after a parent. And there is the man who stands outside of his house on Newark Avenue, the front of which is filled with potted plants which spill right up to his neighbours' front doors too. He stands out on the street dragging on a cigarette intensely, starring off somewhere. This always makes me think of my own Dad. Whenever I visit him at home in Bristol he'll usually be in the back garden, sitting in his wooden chair, rolling a cigarette with liquorice paper and then sitting back with deep relief to smoke it. His smaller children are safely on the other side of the sliding doors, the glass stopping noise from entering his little zone and I wonder how it is that he still has children under the age of seven, but I won't say anything because he just gives me a look that says "I know". The man on Newark Avenue has the same endearing look of distance on his face, but I like to think that he stands outside not just to escape but to admire and guard his prized plants, too.

I'll pass the allotment and the sunflowers. On Thursday there was a small pile of discarded DVDs next to the plants. One of them was Secretary. Then there is the basketball court which is always brightly lit by the sun at that time in the morning and next the 'Hans Knitwear' factory which is now an Islamic Centre and sometimes has groups of men standing and talking outside.

I continue onto Deramore Street. If I time it right I pass as the 'Biker Grove' man is there. He's in his sixties and wears a high-vis jacket and shouts 'Yeah! Biker Grove!'in a patois accent at passing cyclists and the familiar pun always makes me laugh. Midway down the street on the right is the old woman who is always, always sitting on her sofa surrounded by books. There are books everywhere and her blinds are always drawn so you can really get a good look in. Shelves full of them and then piles on every table surface and one open in her lap so that it looks like she has a project on the go, except that she is always leaning to watch the television. This woman in her sitting room is my very favourite part of this stretch because she is always there whether I pass in the morning or the evening. There is nothing sad about the sight and something about the blinds being thrust open means I never feel that I'm intruding on her by peeking into her space. I always just think that it looks like a nice cosy set-up and I bet she has a pretty enviable biscuit tin.

Ever read something on this blog that touched you, made you guffaw, or that you passed onto a friend because you thought they might like it? If so, would you like to buy me a coffee to enjoy whilst I write?